9 Now as soon as those things were finished, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests and Levites haven’t kept themselves separate from the idolatry of the peoples of the lands: the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Yebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 Instead, they’ve taken women from those peoples as wives for themselves and their sons, so they’ve diluted their sacred heritage with the anti-God customs of those peoples. But the worst is that it’s our leaders and officials that have been at the forefront in this unfaithfulness.” 3 As soon as I heard that, I tore my clothes and pulled some of the hair out of my head and beard, and I sat down appalled. 4 Any others who respectfully followed Israel’s God’s instructions and who were concerned about the unfaithfulness of the exiles, joined with me and I sat there appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.